Vermont – Vermont

Label/Cat#: Kompakt Germany – KOMPAKTCD 114
Year: 17 March, 2014
Source: WEB
Format: MP3
Quality: 320 kbps
Size: 143 mb
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electronic, Experimental

Tracklist:
1. Yaiza (02:42)
2. Ruckzug (05:26)
3. Abersprung (06:08)
4. Sharav (04:56)
5. Dynamik (03:20)
6. Majestat (05:54)
7. Cocos (06:21)
8. Elektron (03:46)
9. Katzenjammer (05:17)
10. Droixhe (03:48)
11. Macchina (03:14)
12. Ebbe (04:18)
13. Lithium (04:21)
14. Montag (02:58)

With an artist roster as prolific and well established as Kompakt’s, you won’t find much downtime that could be used for new entries to the catalogue. That’s why we are especially happy to not only present the inaugurating full-length of VERMONT, but also introduce two distinguished producers to the fold that have built their impressive careers in our immediate vicinity, albeit appearing on the label for the very first time: Innervisions’ MARCUS WORGULL and DANILO PLESSOW (of MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE fame), two floor familiars praised for their gripping club tunes that showcase a surprisingly unwound and novel side to their respective artist personas.

With VERMONT, MARCUS WORGULL and DANILO PLESSOW submit a noticeably mature work that seems to come from a well-attuned production duo, effectively concealing the fact that this is their first collaborative effort…and a decidedly informal one at that: These cuts were not conceived with specific aesthetic goals in mind, but emerged from a series of loose jam sessions disclosing the trespassing spirit of the sonic adventurer. It’s in the sanctum of Danilo’s former Cologne studio, surrounded by an armada of vintage analogue synthesizers, that the two music buffs somewhat inadvertently tapped into the city’s collective subconsciousness and minted fourteen sleek soundscapes of almost krautrockish proportions.

Exhibiting high amounts of arpeggiated curiosity and following a factual no-sampling policy, tracks like wonderstruck opener YAIZA, undulating bleepfest DYNAMIK, the cinematic

ELEKTRON or ambient ballad MAJESTÄT are immersed in the enticing allure of freeform sequencing, even deciding to forego the full-blown percussion kits we’ve come to love in the two producers’ main bodies of work. The restricted rhythmic pallet pays off extraordinarily well, as can be heard in the rich, breathing textures of KATZENJAMMER, DROIXHE or EBBE: if inclined to do so, one could label them as introspective synth poems, albeit with a strong sense for structure and dramaturgy that speaks volumes about the musical kinship of their originators – with or without drums.

With this kind of sonic DNA running in their systems, it should come as no surprise that Marcus and Danilo enlisted the help of luminaries DOMINIK VON SENGER (guitar on SHARAV, COCOS, and MONTAG) and JAKI LIEBEZEIT (drums/percussion on COCOS and MACCHINA), two key figures of Cologne’s krautrock scene—the former as guitarist with underground mainstays Dunkelziffer and Phantom Band, the latter as drummer for seminal pioneers Can. Further contributions come from Irish musician DERMOT O’MAHONY (violin on ÜBERSPRUNG) and Cologne agent provocateur LENA WILLIKENS (theremin on LITHIUM), two welcome additions to the sound of VERMONT: a sound that manages to be outstandingly soothing and inexplicably stirring at the same time, probably one of the rarest feats in electronic music today.